New York Knicks: Why Jeremy Lin Shouldn't Be Anointed as New York's Saviour

It’s been little more than a week since Jeremy Lin created a worldwide moment in New York.

Ever since his 25-point, seven-assist and five-rebound performance for the Knicks against the lowly New Jersey Nets, 'Linsanity' has ruled the NBA landscape, crushing any foe in its path.

Lin has averaged 27 points and eight assists over his past five games, with the coup de grace coming on perhaps the grandest stage in the NBA last Friday, a 38-point and seven-assist masterpiece in Madison Square Garden, against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lin has been a revelation, an inspiration and, importantly, the feel good story that the NBA needed in the early stages of 2012 after the public relations disaster that was the lockout.

What would be a nice story in Memphis, New Orleans or even San Antonio, has become an event that has captured the imagination of an entire fanbase (of basketball, not just the Knicks) in only five performances. Some pundits—many with an NYC bias—have quickly proclaimed Lin as the real deal, the missing piece that will lead the Knicks to glory this season.

Please, someone stop the Linsanity.

The meteoric rise of a young point guard that wasn’t deemed to have the quality to play for the Golden State Warriors last season, and was reportedly within days of being cast aside by the Knicks less than a fortnight ago, is a fantastic story worthy of a blockbuster movie release.

But here’s the thing, the NBA isn’t a movie; fantasies and fairy tales rarely happen, if ever.

Lost in the hysteria of the past 10 days are the struggles Lin had before his breakout period.

In 29 games for the Warriors last year, he averaged 2.6 points per game. In his 20 games in the NBA D-League—the developmental league that often serves as a graveyard for not-quite NBA talent—he averaged 18 points and four assists.

Even during his collegiate career with Harvard, Lin only averaged 13 points and three and a half assists each contest.

All evidence points to the fact that Lin will not be able to maintain his current All-Star form and, will in all likelihood, fall back to a level of being a serviceable second-tier player.

That’s nothing personal against Lin. But history tells us that players don’t simply come out of nowhere and dominate the NBA like this.

Part of me hopes that Lin proves every word in this column wrong. Part of the beauty of sport is that the most improbable and inexplicable events can actually occur.

But I won’t be holding my breath this time.

Rather than lining up to anoint Lin as the savior of a struggling Gotham City franchise, lets appreciate 'Linsanity' for what it is.

An incredible improbable roller coaster ride, the very sort of event that drives the romance that allows sports to capture the hearts of people the world over.

But remember, roller coasters have to come down at some point.

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